Bathythermograph and sea sampler



March 19, sPlLH S 2,396,724

BATHYTHERMOGRAPH AND SEA SAMPLER Filed April 18, 1941 mm-Q m INVENTOR.

ATTO/Z Y ATHELSTAN F. Spn. us I Q B F|6.1 EY

Patented Mar. 19, 1946 BATHYTHERMOGRAPH AND SEA SAMPLER Athelstan F. Spilhaus, University Heights, N. Y., assignor to Submarine Signal Company, Boston, Mass a corporation of Maine Application April 18, 1941, Serial No. 389,220

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in bathythermographs and sea samplers and to a combination bathythermograph and sea sampler.

In my copending application Serial No. 224,074, filed August 10, 1938, Patent No. 2,297,725, granted October 6, 1942, I described a bathythermograph for making a simultaneous record of the temperature of sea water as a function of water pressure or depth of submergence. It is an ob- .ject of the present invention to provide an improved bathythermograph.

In another copending application Serial No. 389,219 filed April 18, 1941, Patent No. 2,314,372, granted March 23, 1943, I have described a sea sampler, that is, a device for taking samples of sea water from different depths of ocean whereby salinity determinations can be made.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combination bathythermograph and sea sampler whereby not only can a record of temperature in terms of depth be obtained, but also samples of sea water can be taken at definitely ascertained points on a specific temperature-depth record.

My invention will best be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows my device in a partial vertical section taken along the line I--I in Fig. 3; Fig. 2 shows a partial section of the bathythermograph portion of the device taken along the line 11-11 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section through a part of the sea-sampler portion of the device taken along the line IIIIII in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows an elevation of a portion of Fig. 1 showing the bathythermograph stylus-releasing mechanism; and Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sections taken along the lines V-V and VIVI in Fig. 3 and showing the seasampler valve mechanism in closed and open positions.

As shown in the drawing, the bathythermograph portion of my device comprises a cylindrical shell or casing I containing a plate 4 having a suitable recording surface thereon. The plate 4 may, for example, be in the form of a glass slide coated with a smoked oil film upon which 2. record can be made under water by means of a stylus. The slide 4 is held in a suitable holder 2 which is mounted upon, or forms part of, a supporting element 3. Apertures are provided in the shell I opposite the slide holder 2 so that the record slides can readily be inserted and removed from the instrument. The lower portion of the shell I is closed by a solid member 5, at the upper I end of which there is mounted a flexible corrugated metallic bellows 6 f cylindrical shape.

' may be made in several sections connected together by rings such as 8 and 9 which preferably are also provided with annular flanges Ill and H fitted closely inside the shell I to allow free axial motion only. These guiding flanges l0 and it help to prevent the metallic bellows from collapsing in any but. an axial direction. All the joints between the metallic bellows and the supporting members are hermetically sealed so that no water can get inside the bellows. Within the bellows and fastened to the plug 5 is a hollow cylindrical member l2 extending upwards approximately of the length of the bellows. A spiral spring i3 is placed between the member l2 and the member 7 at the upper end of the bellows, the spring being tensioned so as to tend to keep the bellows expanded.

As a further means of preventing any but axial motion of the bellows a piston M mounted by its upper end in the member 7 is fitted to slide within the cylinder H. An air vent i5 is provided at the bottom of the cylinder (12 to permit air to move freely in and out of the cylinder H2. The record-plate supporting member 3 is fastened to the upper end of the bellow by means of screws [6 so that the record plate will move up and down with the member 7 as the bellows is compressed or expanded.

The cylindrical casing i is open at various places so as to permit the full water pressure to act upon the elements 3 and 5 to compress the spring l3 in proportion to the water pressure when the device is submerged. Since the pressure in an open body of water increases indirect proportion to the depth, the slide ll willmove downwards when the instrument is immersed in the water by an amount which is directly propor-.

tional to the depth of submergence.

A stylus ll, mounted at the end of an arm it, supported in the upper part of the instrument and bearing against the coated surface of the slide 4, will consequently draw a line in a vertical direction on the slide 4 as the depth of submergence of the instrument is increased.

The stylus l! is, however, also actuated in a horizontal direction by means of a temperatureresponsive element. The stylus-supporting arm I8 is inthe form of a lever pivoted at E9 on a supsecured to the outside of the casing 11.

porting bracket 80 secured to a cap Bl closing the upper end of the shell I. Near the pivot l9 the lever I8 is secured to the inner end of the spiral capillary 20 of a. Bourdon tube. The Bourdon tube is carried out through the upper part of the instrument to terminate outside of the instrument in a tube of relatively large surface area such as the helix 2!. The Bourdon tube may be filled with mercury or other substance having a relatively high coemcient of expansion. Thus, when the helix 2| is immersed in a medium of warmer temperature, an increase in pressure due to expansion of the liquid within the helix M is communicated to the spira1 20 resulting in a tendency for the spiral 20 to unwind, thereby .novin the arm l8 and the stylus ll to the left as shown in Fig. 1. Conversely, when the instrument is immersed in a colder medium, the spiral 29 tends to decrease its diameter and move the stylus I! to the right.

Thus, as the instrument is lowered into the water, the stylus ill will inscribe on the record plate i a line which is a graph of the variations of water temperature against the depth. As the instrument is withdrawn from the water, the stylus ll will, of course, also tend to draw a line on the slide and would accurately retrace the line drawn during descent except for the fact that it is not possible to raise the instrument through the same water through which it descended. This is particularly so when the instrument is used from a moving ship as is usually the case. In order to avoid confusion I therefore provide an automatic device for raising the stylus off the surface of the record slide when the instrument is being pulled up out or the water.

This mechanism comprises a cam formed of cylindrical bar 22 extending transversely through the casing l and mounted therein in proximity to the stylus lever 68. A portion of the bar 2?. within the cylinder and beneath the path of the lever it is flattened as shown in Fig. 2. The bar is mounted so that when rotated with the flat portion facing the lever 68, the stylus will be in contact with the slide l, but when the bar is rotated with the round portion facing the lever t8, the lever will be lifted ofi the record slide. The member 22 is pivoted in the casing at one end by the screw 23 and extends outside of the casing at the other end. The latter end of the member 22 has fastened to it a spiral spring 2d having an upwardly extending portion 25 termi hating in a ring 26 bent at right angles to the portion The other end of the spring is fastened to the shell l as by means or the screw as shown in Fig. The spring 26 is tensioned so as to tend to rotate the member 22 in such a manner as to lift the stylus ll off the record slide 5..

When the instrument is ready to be submerged, the ring 26 is engaged by a hook 2d formed at the end or a rod 29 mounted in a bracket 3d The rod is projects above the bracket 3d and has a flat rectangular plate 31! fastened to its upper end as by the screw a slider is arranged to move up and down on the bracket and may be fired in position by a thumb screw 36. The slider on the underside of the bracket carries a right-angle projection which has an aperture through which the rod can pass. Between the projection 35 and a block 365, which is secured by screw to the rod 2b, a spiral spring Si is wound around the rod Downward motion or the rod (ill 'Ill

29 is limited by the rectangular block which is secured to the rod. This spring is tensioned so as to force the rod 29 upwards in which posi tion the hook 28 at the end of the rod can engage the ring 26. When the rod 29 is depressed, the hook. 28 is lowered, thereby releasing the ring 26 and permitting the spring 24 to turn the member 22 to lift the stylus oif the record slide. The tension of spring 31 is thus readily adjustable both by varying the position of the block 36 on the rod 29 and by varying the position of the slider 33 on the bracket 30.

When the instrument is descending in the. water, the motion of. the instrument will tend to cause a pressure on the underside of plate 3|, thus assisting the spring 31 in holding the rod 29 in its upper position. When, however, the instrument is pulled up through the water, its motion will produce a pressure against the upper side of the plate 3i opposing the force of spring 3i, thus tending to depress the rod and release the spring 2d so that the latter by the rotation of member 22 will cause the stylus ill to be lifted off the slide l. However, since the instrument is often used from a ship under way, there will be some downward pressure on the rod as even while the instrument is descending. The position of slider and consequently the tension of spring ill must, therefore, be adjusted in accordance with the speed of the towing vessel so that the stylus will not be lifted off the record slide by the pressure on the plate due to the devices motion in the direction it is being towed. For this purpose a scale 39, calibrated in terms of speed of the towing vessel, may be marked on the outside of the bracket to indicate the correct position of the slider When considerable spring tension is used, the stylus raising mechanism may be tripped by suddenly jerkin the towing line.

In order to make it possible to determine the salinity variations of the water simultaneously with the recording of the temperature and depth curve so that there is a definite correlation between the observed temperature, depth and sa= linity, means are provided whereby a series of samples of the sea water can be taken at various selected depths. From these sea samples the sa linity can later be determined by titration in a manner well known to hydrographers.

The sea-sampler portion oi the mechanism herein described is, in itself, substantially the same as that shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 389,219, filed April 18, 1941. In the present device the same hydrostatic bellows, as just described for the operation of the bathythermograph, is used for the operation of the sea sampler. A plurality of water sample bottles are used, each being in the form of an elongated metal cylinder having a valve at both upper and lower ends. these bottles may be grouped around the cylindrical shell 1, as in" dicated in Fig. 3 by the reference numbers ll to 66. Two of the bottles, namely bl and ll, appear in elevation in Fig. l. The bottles are seated on a flange ll formed as part of the member 5 which closes the lower portion of the shell l. The flange ll is provided with holes ill over which the bottles are positionedby means of pins 82 so that water can freely iiow upwards into the bottles. The upper end of each bottle is provided with an ear which is engaged by a catch d9 pressed downwards by a spring til within a bracket ti secured to the outside of the casing l.

By lifting the catch 41 the corresponding bottle can be tilted upwards and removed from the in strument. v

The valves at the top and bottom of the several bottles are simple stopcocks which are opened and closed by the levers 52 and 53. The valves of bottle 44, as shown in Fig. l, are in closed position while the valves of bottle 4| are in open position. Fig. 5 shows a vertical section through the nearly closed upper valve of the bottle 44, while Fig. 6 shows a vertical section through the upper valve of bottle 4|. As shown in these heures each valve comprises a conical plug 54 having a diametral aperture 55 which by rotation of the plug by the lever members 52 and 53 can be turned to open and close the passage into the bottle.

The upper and lower valve-operating levers 52 and 53 of each bottle are joined by a rod 56 having forked ends 51 and 58 into which the ends of the levers 52 and 53 are fitted and secured by pins 59 and 60. A spiral spring BI is fastened at its upper end by a screw 62 to the wall of the water bottle and at its lower end to the rod 6. The pull of the spring 6! thus tends to raise the rod into the position shown in Fig. l for the rod 6 of bottle 44. In this position both upper and lower valves are nearly closed. n bottle 4| the spring is shown in extended position with the valves of the bottle open. The valves are held open by means of a dog 63 formed on the lever 52 and bearing against a shoulder 65 of a link 68 which is pivoted at its lower end on an ear 66 secured to the shell I. There are a series of these links 68 to I3, one for each bottle. The upper end of the link 68 has a projection BI which is bent inwards to pass through an aperture in the shell 5. Thus, when the dog 63 presses against the shoulder 65 of the link 68, the link projection 61 will press against the member 3 which is mounted within the shell I at the upper end of the hydrostatic bellows. The member 3 is provided with a series of notches 64 all of which are visible in Fig. 3. These notches are of the same length, but the several links 68 to I3 are of different lengths so that as the member 3 is depressed by increased hydrostatic pressure when the instrument descends into the ocean, the projections El on the several links will successively be pressed into the grooves When this happens, the dogs 63 are enabled to pass by the shoulders 65 on the links, thereby permitting the springs Bl to complete the closure of the valves of the several water bottles in succession. In order to remove the projections ill from the grooves 64 so that the member 3 can again move upwards when the instrument is pulled out of the water, the links 68 to 73 are provided with outwardly extending ears I4 which are engaged by the dogs 63 just before the valves are completely closed. This position is shown on the bottle 44 in Fig. 1. The lower end of each bottle is provided with an outwardly extending stop I which can be engaged by the dogs IS on the lower levers 53 to form stops for the closed position of the valves. Thus, the valves on the bottle 44 under the action of spring 6! will be rotated slightly further than shown in Fig. 1 until the dog I6 on the lower valve lever 53 engages the stop I5. This small additional amount of motion is just sufiicient to move the ear I4 of the upper link under the urging of dog 63 to pull projection 61 out of the groove 64 in the member 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, the spring I3 01 the pressure-responsive member is in slightly compressed position. Under atmospheric pressure the member 3 would be slightly higher within the casing I so that none of the projections 67 on the several links could enter'any of the grooves 64. Prior to submerging the instrument, therefore, the six dry bottles, all of which are similar, are inserted in the instrument in the positions shown with all the springs tensioned and the valves open as represented by the bottle 4 I, Fig. 1. Then, when the instrument is submerged, the increasing hydrostatic pressure will gradually depress the member 3, causing the valves in the several bottles to be closed successively-at various depths predetermined by the various lengths of the links 68 to I3 in the member 3. In order to change the depths at which the valves are closed, links 68 to 13 of different lengths are substituted. It will be observed'that this can be done without disassembling the instrument except for the removal of the water bottles. When the several valves are closed under the action of the springs 6i, the instrument is given a slight shock by the impact of the dogs I6 against the stops I5 which causes the stylus I I to make a slight transverse mark on the slide 4. Since the slide at that instant has been vertically displaced in accordance with the hydrostatic pressure, the marks on the slide will indicate the exact depth at which each of the water samples was taken. It is merely necessary, then, for the operator to identify a given record slide with a given set of water samples in order later to have exact information of the salinity and temperature changes of the water with depth at the position at which the record was made.

The record-bearing slides are conveniently examined by projecting the stylus trace on a precalibrated chart, or if desired permanent enlarged records can be made by photographic projection printing.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A bathythermograph comprising a record plate, means mounting said plate for movement in one direction as a function of hydrostatic pressure, a temperature-responsive element, a stylus operated thereby in a direction substantially at right angles to the motion of said plate and normally positioned to make a trace on said plate in response to relative movement between the plate and the stylus, and means responsive to upward motion of the instrument through the water to raise the stylus off the record plate.

2.A bathythermograph comprising a record plate, means mounting said plate for movement in one direction as a function of hydrostatic pres-- sure, a temperature-responsive element, a stylus operated thereby in a direction substantially at right angles to the motion of said plate and normally positioned to make a trace on said plate in response to relative movement between the plate and the stylus, and means responsive to upward motion of the instrument through the Water to raise the stylus ofi the record plate, said means including a pressure plate positioned so as to be acted upon by water flow around the instrument, a cam adapted upon rotation to raise said stylus oif the record plate, spring means tending to rotate said cam into its position with the stylus raised and means operatively connected to said plate for releasing said spring for action on said cam only in response-to pressure produced by the flow of water around said plate when the instrument is pulled upwards through the Water.

3. A combined bathythermograph and sea samby said element, a plurality of water sample bot-.

tles, valves for closing each of said bottles and means actuated by said element for closing the valves on each of said bottles at a predetermined depth and impact-producing means associated with said valve-closing means for producing a slight relative motion between said stylus and said plate whereby a mark is made on the record plate at the instant each water bottle is closed.

4. A bathythermograph comprising an elongated casing, a hermetically sealed metallic bellows adapted to be compressed by hydrostatic pressure mounted within said casing and fixed by one end thereto with the compression axi of the bellows parallel to the long axis of the casing, a record plate having a fiat record surface mounted onthe free end of said bellows in a plane parallel to the compression axis of the bellows, a stylus asea'zac moved in its plane by said pressure-responsive elemounted within said casing and positioned in the I Plane of said record surface, and ya Bourdon tube mounted within the casing and having in communication therewith a temperature-responsive element comprising a tube wound in an elongated helix mounted outside of said casing and adapted to produce pressure variations in response to temperature variation for the actuation of said Bourdon tube and means for transmitting motion of the latter to said stylus to move the same across said record plate in a direction substantially at right angles to said compression axis.

5. A combined bathythermograph and sea-sampler comprising an instrument adapted to be lowere-d into the sea and including means for taking separate samples of sea water at a plurality of difierent depths, means for recording a continuous curve of temperature and pressure variations of the sea water coincidentally with the taking of said samples and means for indicating the points on said curve at which said samples are taken.

6. A combined bathythermograph and sea sampler comprising an instrument adapted to be lowered into the sea and including means for taking a sample of sea water, means for recording a continuous curve of temperature and pressure variations of the sea water as the instrument is lowered and means for indicating the point on said curve at which said sample i taken.

'7. A combined bathythermograph and sea sampler comprising an instrument adapted to be lowered into the sea and including pressure-respone sive means, means for taking a water sample,

means controlled by said pressure responsive means for efiecting the taking of a sample at predetermined pressure by said means for taking the water sample, temperature-responsive means, re

cording means, means including in partsaid pressure-responsive means, in part said temperaturement, a Bourdon tube having in communication therewith a temperature-responsive tube adapted to produce pressure variations for the actuation of said Bourdon tube, a stylus positioned substantially in the plane of said chart and adapted to mark the same, and means connecting said stylus with said Bourdon tube for moving the stylus in response to motion of said Bourdon tube. H

9. A bathythermograph comprising a pressureresponsive element, a record chart adapted to be moved in its plane by said pressure-responsive element, a Bourdon tube having in communication therewith a temperature-responsive helical tube element adapted to produce pressure variations for the actuation of said Bourdon'tube in response to temperature variations, a stylus positioned substantially in the plane of said chart and adapted to mark the same and means connecting said stylus with said Bourdon tube for moving the stylus across the chart in response to motion of said Bourdon tube.

10. A bathythermo-graph comprising an elongated cylinder having a Bourdon tube mounted at one end thereof with a recording stylus-carrying arm operated thereby positioned substantially in the longitudinal axis of said cylinder and adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular thereto, a temperature-responsive helical tube element in communication with said Bourdon tube for the operation of the latter, a pressure-responsive bellow element positioned longitudinally in said cylinder and supportedat one of its ends to the other end of the cylinder, said bellows having at its 0ther,'free end a recording plate positioned in the plane of motion of the recording stylus, the expansive and contractive motion of said pressure-responsive bellows being adapted to move said recording plate in an extension of its same plane and the motion of said stylus arm being adapted to move said stylus over the surface of said recording element.

11. A bathythermograph comprising an elongated cylinder having a Bourdon tube mounted within the same' at one end thereof, a temperature-responsive helical tube element in communication with said Bourdon tube for the operation of the latter and mounted outside of said cylinder, a pressure-responsive bellows element positioned longitudinally within said cylinder and fixed by one end to the other end of the cylinder, means for mountinga record chart on the free end of said bellows element for longitudinal motion therewith and stylus means positioned in the plane of said chart and adapted to mark the same and means connecting said tylus to said Bourdon tube for moving the stylus across the chart in response to motion of said Bourdon tube.

ATHELSTAN F. SPILHAUS. 

